Smoke and Cats

Last week saw little in the way of outside project work, due to smoke haze from wildfires in Canada. Air quality warnings were the norm, with some alerts in the “Unhealthy” category and much time at the “Sensitive” level. Pam and I passed the days with routine yard work, getting to know a couple outside cats, and “puttering.” Saturday morning we visited Becky at her home in Greene and watched the local River Days parade.

I am going to start with a photo of the equipment trailer that I was working on in my last post. I did get both sets of wheels done and fenders as well. Pam took this photo of me at work. Note the rusty wheel and taped-up light and license plate, preparations for painting to come.

Wheels received a coat of white paint, hubs received a coat of black, and mounting hardware and fenders were done in red. Main deck is still to be done using a combination of white and red.

One development concerns a couple neighborhood outside cats that have been appearing with more regularity at our house. Autumn Calico and Cheeto are seen more and more frequently, with Autumn using the catio ramp and shelter from time to time.

While Autumn seems to be in good physical health, the same cannot be said for Cheeto. He is a skinny little thing and appears to be having problems with diarrhea. Pam is drawing on her rescue background to feed him probiotics with targeted diarrhea meds in hopes of helping improve Cheeto’s health.

Both animals are friendly and can be petted with no problems; they are obviously used to people. Are they cats let out by neighbors, or were they dumped? We don’t know. If they stay around Heart House they may end up in the catio over the winter. Autumn is already comfortable using the ramp and entering the catio building for periods of time, but Cheeto has not yet been so bold. We have a summer to work out the dynamics.

Staying with a cat theme, here is [indoor cat] Elmo at rest one day. That cat can relax in a number of unconventional poses.

The trip to Greene to visit Becky and take in Green’s local parade went well. The dogs seemed to be OK (sequestered in the laundry room) for the hours we were gone, and we enjoyed the drive through fertile Iowa cornfields. Here’s a photo of Pam and Becky waiting for the parade to begin. Our chairs were in the shade and a light breeze blew. Quite comfortable.

We are very impressed with the work Becky has put into her place her first year in residence. Becky’s small garden is doing well, growing a wide variety of plants, and the yard looks great. The work of planting, putting up arbors, and purchasing hanging plants has resulted in a good-looking place. (The photo does not include parts of the front walk and area at the end of the garage which have received attention and resources as well.)

There is (always) some medical news to relate. Pam has had a lesion on her forehead since just before our move to Iowa, and [finally] she was able to schedule a dermatologist appointment. During the consult, a biopsy was taken. The official results are not yet in, but basal cell carcinoma is strongly suspected. (This is the most common form of skin cancer in the U.S.) More on this as the story line develops.

So that was our week, routine tasks mixed in with a few trips and projects. Summer heat is building. Summer Solstice is this coming week.

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!

Pam’s Penny

My sister is in the process of creating a charming “grandma house” in Greene. Inside, the decor is as interesting and detailed as the exterior landscaping. She has worked s-o-o hard, solo, to achieve results. Very impressive. And more to come!

Silly me. I though, with Cloudy Day’s exit to the Rainbow Bridge in April, the catio would be essentially closed down going forward. As soon as Cloudy’s presence was no longer an obstacle, the neighborhood cats moved in. First Autumn Calico, then Cheeto – next, maybe Frito and Spook and Muffin Head…don’tcha just love neighborhoods?

Happy Trails.